In A Day's Work
by Tiana-P
Summary: “Sometimes, it’s the things that remain the same that makes you realise what’s what in life.” Spoilers for 8.21, 'Meltdown'. E/C, with Jake.


_A/N: This is my first ever spoiler-based fanfic, and my first one-shot for CSI:Miami. I am utterly, truely and deeply sorry for any out of characterness and spelling/grammer mistakes. I don't like either of them, but it is approaching 5.30am right now, and I doubt it'll be without either. Please R&R. _

_Here's to Monday's episode, hoping it'll be as E/C as I wrote! This fic is specially dedicated to all those on the E/C thread on the CBS website. =D_

* * *

Sighing heavily, Calleigh shut the folder that she had been skimming through. She had spotted Horatio approaching her from the corner of her eye, and as she stood up straighter from where she leant against the desk that belonged to one officer or another, she fought with all her might to not peek over her shoulder once again.

It was true; she knew it was. But everything had happened in such a hurry that she no longer knew what to believe, and whether or not it had all happened as she thought it had. Shaking her head to rid herself of the negative thoughts, Calleigh urged herself to go back into her professional mode. She had always prided herself in keeping her personal life and feelings out of work, and she wasn't going to change that now.

"Ready, ma'am?" Horatio asked her in his usual way. Simply nodding, Calleigh followed him into the glass interrogation room that was behind her, allowing her to pass ahead of him before he closed the door.

"Lieutenant Caine." The man greeted them, eyes flickering between the two of them before settling on the man. He was sat on the other side of the table, sitting up straighter as the other two took a seat opposite him. "It's been a while."

"It certainly has been, Detective Berkeley." He replied with a curt nod. Being as discrete as he could, Horatio did a quick once over on the former MDPD officer, taking note of his rougher look that was only softened by his smart casual clothes.

"So what's going on?" Jake asked, leaning forwards slightly to rest his forearms onto the table in front of him and averting his attention to the blonde as he carried on. "Did you confirm my story?"

"I did." Calleigh answered, pushing the closed file that she had been reading forward only an inch or so as if to emphasise the proof that was between them. "But it still doesn't explain why you were at the crime scene, or at the suspect's hideout when you have finished your undercover job."

"It was a follow up. Like I said." His words became more gruff as he repeated himself from the initial interrogation that he had received from both Calleigh and Tripp only a couple of hours prior. "I'm not the one you're looking for. I didn't steal the diamonds."

"How did you know about the hideout before we did?" She questioned him, knowing that asking him about how he knew about the stolen diamonds was a pointless question. The whole city of Miami probably knew about the stolen diamonds, even if they didn't know that they had been stolen once again.

"I had a hunch." Jake shrugged softly, reclining back against his chair as he did so. "You pick up a few things while undercover within gangs. Things about rival gangs and affiliates."

"Such information could have been divulged to the police department, Detective." Horatio reminded him with his monotone voice.

"I couldn't be seen with cops. You know that, Horatio. It hasn't been long enough to be able to assume that I'm not still being watched." He explained, voice almost a mix of earnest and pleading. "I could be killed if they even got the hint of me being undercover."

"Yet you still turned up at the crime scene, and went to the hideout." Calleigh stated. Even though her tone could have betrayed it, there was a sense of curiousness and intrigue as to why the man in front of her, one she had known for years, would take such a risk. "I'd say that's a reason to be killed, too."

"I know how it must seem. But I knew something was going to go down. Just not _what_." Jake insisted vehemently, shaking his head. "At least, not enough to risk blowing my cover."

"Alright." Horatio nodded, knowing there wasn't much more that could be done right then. "I guess that'll be it for now."

"Can I go?"

"Um…" Horatio began, standing up and rounding his chair. "We find it in your best interest if you remained here until you are excluded for sure. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, I get you." Jake sighed, watching as Calleigh slowly stood up from her position after picking up the folder that she had brought in with her. "Try and make it quick? Being held isn't really the best way to remain inconspicuous."

"I'll do my best, Jake." She assured him. Offering him a soft smile that she usually reserved for the grieving people they usually broke the bad news to about their loved one being dead, she left the room and headed down the corridor to where her boss was stood.

"Calleigh…" He began, fiddling with the edges of glasses with the tips of her fingers. "I need to know, and I'm only going to ask you this once, but are you going to be ok-?"

"Yes." She cut him off, not needing to hear the rest of the question to think about the answer. "It's fine."

"Calleigh-"

"It's _fine. I'm _fine." Calleigh insisted, giving him her typical sunny smile as she did so. "You know me, Horatio. If I thought anything would hinder the case in any way, you know I would say so. Even if it was me."

"Ok." Horatio accepted, returning her smile before turning back to their case. "Do you believe him?"

"That he didn't have anything to do with the stolen diamonds?" She asked to confirm. "I don't know. It's suspicious, especially if he's turning up at crime scenes when he's just got out. But it's not like him either. He takes his job seriously."

"That is true, Calleigh. That is true." He lamented thoughtfully, recalling an event in the distant past that showed just how seriously Jake Berkeley took his work. "So, let's go see if we can find anything to help our friend out."

…

Evidence had began to stack up as the lab itself became a scene. With additional people needed to process the place where the diamonds had been taken from, Calleigh was starting to feel a bit cluster phobic as the stress of the situation increased. She gladly took the opportunity to get away from that particular place in the crime lab, and return to go going through the evidence that they already had collected.

Making her way through the glass corridors, she hesitated at a certain corner. Turning left would take her to the police department, whereas going right would take her to the rest of the lab. She wasn't sure of the reason behind it, but there was a small churning in her stomach as she thought about Jake. He wasn't too far from her right then, and it would only take a few minutes to get there, have a little chat and get back to work. After all, she convinced herself as she headed towards the detaining section of the police department, she had known him for years and it wasn't fair to leave him in there by himself for hours on end.

Signing in, Calleigh pushed open the glass door and entered the small room. It was meant for keeping a couple of people for a few hours, but there was no-one else there but him. He sat lounging on the semi-comfy chairs that was pushed right by the wall, sitting up straighter at the sight of her.

"Calleigh." He merely greeted her, watching her as she dragged a chair from the other corner of the room and placed it opposite him, keeping a few feet between them. She smiled as she sat down, leaning back and seeming relaxed when they both knew she was slightly on edge around him.

"Hey, Jake." She replied softly, still trying to figure out her footing with him after so long. "I thought I'd come by and see how you were doing."

"I'd be better if I could leave." He told her straightforwardly and a bit sharply.

"We're doing the best we can. Jake." Calleigh quickly defended both herself and her team, wondering silently if she had made the right choice to come and see him again.

"I know." Jake sighed after a small pause. "I know. Sorry. I'm just a bit nervous, I guess."

"Nervous, about what? About what we'll find?" She asked him, realising a moment later that it sounded more interrogating than concerned.

"No. I told you; I had nothing to do with it." He insisted once again. Leaning back in his seat, Jake tilted his head slowly and narrowed his eyes by a fraction of an inch as if to study her. "You don't know whether to believe me, do you?"

"I'll believe in whatever the evidence tells me." Calleigh answered, sidestepping his question with ease. His examining eyes on her made her feel self-conscious, and she was suddenly glad of the glass walls that surrounded the room that allowed her to feel more comfortable, knowing where she was.

"Still the same old Calleigh." Jake chuckled, shaking his head in an amused way as he dropped his previous stance into a more relaxed one. "I'm glad. Sometimes, it's the things that remain the same that makes you realise what's what in life."

Calleigh simply raised an eyebrow at his words, not sure how to reply to his sudden contemplative and wise words. Now he was out of his undercover operation, she knew that it was a case of what to do next and where, whilst all the while making sure he would never be seen by those who he had helped put away. But his words made her realise that it wasn't just his professional life that was in for a change.

"Sorry, don't mind me. Like I said, I'm just a bit nervous and agitated to get out of here." He informed her with a small frown. "I can't be in one place for too long right now. It's only been a few weeks."

"At least you're at a police station." Calleigh tried to reason. "If anything, they'll just see you as getting yourself into some kind of trouble if they see you being held here."

"I guess so." Jake agreed slowly. "You always knew how to put a good spin onto almost anything."

"I try my best. You should try it some time." She laughed lightly.

"Yeah?" He asked her with a smirk. "How about me being caught at hideout and getting arrested for it turning into a potential catch-up for me and you over coffee? When I get out of here, of course. Unless you could sneak some in here."

"Jake…" Calleigh began in a kind and tentative voice. "Normally, I wouldn't mind. But something tells me that when you say 'catch up over coffee', you don't just mean that."

"I'm not going back undercover, Calleigh. It messes too much with my head." He informed her, tapping his temple with two fingers of his left hand. "I know I can't stay in Miami, maybe not even in Florida, but it'll be better than last time. We could make it work."

"We couldn't. After all the times we tried, it always ended the same, and it was for a reason." She reminded him, folding her hands in her lap as she stared at her fingers for a few seconds before looking back up at him.

"You never know unless you try, Cal." Jake urged her, leaning forwards in his seat so that his elbows now rested on his legs as his eyes penetrated right into hers. They were a shining colour of hope, and Calleigh hated the fact that she was going to be the one to douse it.

"I do know, Jake. I'm sorry." She told him softly, pausing briefly before carrying on. "And even I didn't, I'm seeing someone else now."

"Oh." The single word was the only reaction that she got for a moment, along with the man before her sinking back into his seat. A quick flash of disappointment, and perhaps hurt, passed over his face before he masked it over with a more subtle look of surprise. "I didn't think- I mean, I'm not really shocked. Well, I guess I am, but at the same time, I'm not."

"Yeah." Was all that Calleigh could say to that. "Look, Jake-"

"Calleigh, don't. You don't have to explain yourself to me. Not anymore. I'm the one who broke it off with you, and you said you wouldn't wait. I shouldn't have expected anything." He cut her off. Calleigh remained quiet until he was done, biting lightly on her bottom lip to keep herself from smiling at the wrong time.

"You're right; I don't have to explain myself to you, which is why I wasn't going to." She told him, allowing the smile to break out even if it wasn't as wide or true as it normally was. The tension in the room wouldn't and couldn't be dissipated by her smile when it came to Jake anymore. "I _was _going to say that I should get back to work."

"Yeah, of course." Jake replied. There was a small sad smile tugging at his lips as he spoke, and by the way his posture loosened a bit, Calleigh was forced to tear her eyes away in guilt. Standing up, she moved the chair back to where it had been before straightening herself upright back into her confident manner.

"I guess I'll talk to you later then. Hopefully, it won't be too long before you can leave." Calleigh said politely, heading for the door.

"Calleigh?" Jake stopped her a couple of feet away from the door. She turned around to face him; the innocent questioning look on her face that making him falter between what he wanted to say and what he should say. Instead, he decided to keep it to himself. "Nothing."

"Ok." She nodded, unconsciously holding a breath as she exited the room and signed out. It wasn't until she was up the corridor that she fully exhaled, slowing her step to get a hold of herself. It didn't take long before she was able to push past it as she realised that the weight that had been on her earlier was now gone.

Heading back towards the crime lab, Calleigh had every intention on going back to the job that she had planned on doing only 30 minutes earlier. That was until she reached the trace lab and she was joined by her fellow CSI colleague who exited the room the same time as she passed it.

"Perfect timing, Calleigh. I was just about to give you a call." Natalia grinned at her before handed her a print out as they carried on walking. "Fancy heading back out to the scene?"

"And getting out of this mad house?" She responded with a bright smile. "Of course."

"Great!" Natalia chirped before clearing her throat that warned the blonde that she was going to mention something that she might not like. "I hear that Jake Berkeley's back in town."

"You hear correctly." Calleigh confirmed, continuing even through she knew it wasn't why she was asking. "Frank and I picked him up at the hideout."

"Yeah, I heard that, too." She laughed lightly, easing the personal conversation a bit. "Listen, tell me to back off or that it's none of my business if you want, but is everything ok? With Jake being back and all?"

"Natalia, it's fine." She replied in the same manner as she had to Horatio. "Thank you for your concern, but seriously, it's all in the past now."

"Ok. If you say so." Natalia accepted. "But I'm here if you want to talk or anything, yeah?"

"I know." Calleigh assured her kindly as they stopped at the elevator. Surprisingly, the area they were in was near deserted, although Calleigh guessed that was due to the fact that everyone was busy on the other side of the lab.

"So…" The other woman began nonchalantly, keeping her eyes on the small LED screen atop of the elevator doors as it showed the floor that the lift was currently on. "Are you going to tell Eric about Jake?"

"I don't know. I haven't thought about it." She replied. It wasn't an entire lie. Calleigh really didn't know if she would say anything, although the thought had passed her mind a couple of times before she banished it to the back of her mind for later. "It's work, and you know we can't really talk about work."

"It might be work, but it's also your ex." Natalia pointed out, averting her eyes back to her. "I think you should tell him. You know Eric never really liked Jake in the first place, and it'd be better if he found out from you than anyone else. I'm only saying this because I care. For the both of you."

"I know." Calleigh repeated with a sigh, not liking the fact that the other woman had said exactly what she hadn't wanted to think about. "I'll see."

"Alright." She replied, knowing that that was Calleigh's way of ending their conversation. "Listen, I need to grab something from my locker. Can I meet you by the car in 5?"

"How about I meet you out front with the car?" Calleigh countered, shaking off all the feelings from their brief talk to regain her typical calm composure.

"Sounds good. See you then."

The elevator arrived just as Natalia's footsteps had retreated around the corner, and it wasn't long before she was on the ground floor of the building. Walking past the receptions desk, Calleigh took a quick, brief look out of the glass doors as she, too, passed them. This time, however, she did a double take before stopping in her stride. It didn't take two seconds for her to change her course of direction, and instead of heading to the garage, she made her way to the main entrance and exit of the building.

Feeling the heat of the sun upon her skin almost immediately, she relaxed in the familiar warmth as she steadily approached the dark blue car and the man who had now climbed out of it.

"Is there a reason why you're watching me, Calleigh?" He asked her. Even with his back still to her and the good 6 feet between them, she knew he was smirking just by his words.

"I was wondering why you're here." She replied as he finally turned to face her and take a couple of steps closer to close the distance between them. "And I wasn't watching you."

"Yeah, yeah." Eric murmured with a smile that she could only call boyish.

"The reason you're here, Eric?" Calleigh prompted him, crossing her arms to try and remain professional even as his smile threatened to become contagious as the distance between shortened to one where a simple step would be deemed as inappropriate at work. "I'm guessing you're not here to see me."

"In a way, I am." He replied cryptically that only made her roll her eyes. "The State's Attorney wants me to, um… _help out_ with the investigation on the diamonds that were stolen. Again."

"Which is another way of saying that they want you to see if it was an inside job or not, right?" She asked him with a mix of incredulity and scepticism.

"You know I can't say anything else." Eric sighed, fighting the urge to go against his words when he saw her turn her head away with a frown on her face. "Look, is this going to come between us?"

"What?" Calleigh asked him in surprise, facing him once again and letting out a breath when she realised how pathetic she was being. "No, of course not. Let's just… Let's just do our jobs, yeah?"

"Ok. I can do that." He grinned half-heartedly, and Calleigh felt her heartstring's tug at the thought that it was because of her.

"Hey, look on the bright side. I'll be seeing you around more." She tried to lighten the mood between them and silently praising herself when Eric chuckled and nodded.

"Can't argue with that." He agreed. His eyes bounced from hers to over her shoulder when he spotted someone familiar and then back to her again. "I think Natalia's waiting for you."

"Ah, yeah. I was meant to get the Hummer." Calleigh confessed to him with a sheepish look. "I should get going."

"Alright. I'll talk to you later." Eric said as she backed away slowly. It was only when she turned and caught Natalia's eyes that she remembered their conversation from before.

Gnawing on her bottom lip as the other CSI told her without any words that she was going to get the car for them, Calleigh paused and turned back around. It took a few seconds to spot Eric again, having moved from where they had been to the path that led to the police department.

"Eric!" She called out, hurriedly trying to catch up with him so not to waste any more time or to make a scene. He turned around as soon as he heard her, an eyebrow raised in question as he did so.

"What's wrong?" Eric asked her when she reached him.

"Nothing's wrong." Calleigh insisted in her calm voice; her Southern accent making it that much more soothing. "There's something I need to tell you. Something that I'm not sure we should be discussing here, but I feel like I should tell you now rather than later when we're not at work. Jake's back, and he's in that building right there-"

"Calleigh, Calleigh-" He tried to interrupt her, but she either didn't hear him, or didn't care.

"We've spoken to him and he's being detained for a while because he's connected to the case, which I guess I can talk to you about seeing as you're on it too. So technically, telling you about him isn't really personal as it is profess-" She carried on, only to be cut off again.

"Cal, baby, I _know_. I know." Eric told her, laying a hand on her arm to get her attention. He was when it worked, until he saw the shock in her eyes that made him explain what he had just said. "It was in the case file. About how he was at the scene and then at the hideout that you and Tripp went to. I know."

"Why didn't you say anything then?" She asked him curiously.

"Because I figured you wouldn't want to bring it up here." He merely shrugged. "Thought it could wait until later or when we get home."

"It can." Calleigh agreed, exhaling deeply as she internally grimaced at the small out of character outburst she had had. "Sorry. I didn't think that you knew, especially when you didn't ask."

"Trust me, it was hard not to." Eric told her seriously. "So, you spoke to him?"

"Eric." She simply said, warningly, causing him to throw his hands up in innocence.

"It was a simple question." He tried to assure her, though it fell on deaf ears as she rolled her eyes.

"I need to get to the scene. Natalia's waiting." Calleigh told him, nodding to where the other lady had the car parked on the other side of the road opposite the building. "I just wanted to let you know so it didn't come as a shock to you when you found out. But now you know-"

"-we can talk later." Eric finished gently. "I know. See you then."

"Bye." She replied, saying goodbye for the second time that afternoon. This time, however, it was Eric who walked away first, leaving Calleigh with her thoughts about both Eric and Jake as she went back to her job.

…

For a good hour or so after Eric had arrived at the Miami-Dade Police Department, everything that he did involved either filling in some paperwork or reading through other people's paperwork. As most of the lab where the diamonds had been kept was still being processed, and with everyone who cold possibly be a suspect working hard on the case at hand, Eric wasn't sure whether to feel elated or annoyed that the first person he would be able to perhaps rule our was Jake Berkeley.

Horatio and Frank had filled him in with what he needed to know on both the forensic and interrogative aspects of the case involving Jake. By the end of it, all three couldn't do anything else but agree that the former MDPD Detective had nothing to do with the robbery; either one of them. That, however, didn't make Eric's cause at the lab any easier. Being the forensics expert for the State's Attorney also meant that he had to double check with it all, and after making sure all the hard evidence was alright, it only left a first hand question and answer session with the suspect to confirm.

If Jake was shocked to see Eric when he entered the glass interrogation room with Horatio, he didn't show it. In fact, he remained as nonchalant as he could, and Eric had to do all that he could to stop himself from feeling irritated by it. Having Jake's presence there wasn't something that he liked, and considering their past, Eric was sure that he didn't like it either.

"Horatio. Delko." Jake said dryly as Horatio took the seat opposite him, whereas Eric decided to stay standing. He was pretty sure that this was going to be done in no time at all, especially if he had something to do with it. "How can I help you guys now?"

"There are a few things that I need to go over with you." Eric answered him from where he stood a little bit back behind the chair that remained vacant for him.

"I've told you everything that you could possibly want to know already!" Jake told them with a hint of anger, crossing his arms as he lent back in his char. "What is it now? My shoe size?"

"Actually, we've already got that from the impression that the crime lab took from your shoe." Eric countered resolutely. "I need you to answer a few questions for the State's Attorney."

"And if I don't?" Jake asked him challengingly, although there was a clear tone of tiredness in his voice. "You must have found something to let me go indefinitely, Horatio."

"Just answer the questions, Detective Berkeley. Everything will be explained in a moment." Horatio instructed. There was silence from all three of them until Jake finally broke it.

"You work for the State's Attorney now?" He asked Eric, relaxing his posture and rubbing his forehead. Jake had noticed something different about the man that he once worked with, mostly unwillingly, but it wasn't until he pieced together the information that he noticed the absence of a badge, replaced instead by a visitor's tag. "Ask away."

"Why did you come back to Miami?" Eric questioned him straightforwardly, not even bothering to ease him into it.

"I heard whispers about plans that were going to do down in Miami. I thought I'd see if it was true." Jake answered honestly; words matching what had been said in the report already.

"And was it?"

"Well, obviously, now that the diamonds have been stolen." He replied smarmily, leaning onto the table as he did so.

"Jake." Horatio warned him quietly, not having to look back to know that the man who was there wouldn't be impressed by the attitude.

"So you _knew_ that they were going to be stolen, but you didn't tell anyone? You know that makes you an accessory, right?" Eric asked rhetorically, not missing the darkened glare that Jake sent him for a split second before it was replaced by nothing. They both knew what his next words were going to be, but unfortunately for them both, it was the job to make sure.

"I didn't _know_ what it was exactly that was going to happen. Or where. Or when. Or by who or how." He explained tersely. "And I know that you know that because I've repeated it at least 5 times in so many hours. If you're going to ask me the same questions as before, I'll save you the time and energy. Read that file; it'll give you the same information as I will. Better yet, ask Horatio, Tripp or Calleigh."

Silence fell upon them once again, except this time, it wasn't an annoyed one as much it was a stubborn one. There was nothing that Eric wanted more than to simply drop it and let Jake go, especially as he berated himself for the flash of fury, and even jealousy, that went through him at the mention of Calleigh's name from the other man's mouth.

"You know what? Fine. I have other things to do around here, and you're going to be free to go no matter what you say now." Eric sighed tensely, trying his best to not sound like he was giving in or that it would bother him. Years later, and it was still competition between them on who got the best hand. At least, for him it was, even if he did now have the best hand that he could possibly have. "H?"

"I'll deal with this." He confirmed with a nod. "Let me know if anything else changes."

Eric murmured in answer as he stepped forwards to collect the file that was on the table, solely based on Jake Berkeley. Their eyes met for a brief second, and while no words were said, the message was clear; neither one was ever going to back down.

…

Calleigh was in her element. After getting back to the lab from the scene, not only was she able to avoid the craziness that was the lab area, but she was also able to seek refuge in her ballistics lab. Although there hadn't been anything new from the scene that she could use, there had been some stuff waiting for her when she had arrived back, and she had since been in there.

Peering through the microscope once again, Calleigh adjusted the lens to a lesser magnification before twisting another knob to focus it. Being so entranced that she was with her work, she failed to notice the pair of eyes burning into the top of her head until she looked up at the distinctive sound of scuffling of shoes against the floor.

"Hey." She smiled as he came to a stop on the other side of the bench she was working on. "And to what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Rumour has it that this is where the best shot in three states usually resides." He replied wittily, causing Calleigh to stop with her work and look up at him.

"And…?"

"They never said she was a blonde. Kinda short too." He joked, jumping back a bit as a pen lid came flying to him. "Careful! You could take out an eye with that."

"You should just be glad it was a lid and not a bullet I aimed at you." Calleigh retorted, trying her best to seem as annoyed as possible, thought it wasn't working as she stared at his grinning face. "Like you said, I'm the best shot in three states."

"Alright, alright. I'll take it back." He laughed as Calleigh turned back to the form that she had been writing on. "When did you get back?"

"About half an hour ago." She replied, her words a murmur as she focused on what she wrote. Eric waited for a little while, watching as she carried on with her job until he spoke up again.

"Listen, can I ask you something?"

"Off or on the record?" Calleigh replied, taking note of his more serious tone.

"A bit of both." He told her, hesitating as he tried to make it sound less like a personal favour and more of a professional thing.

"Ok." The one word, along with her dropping her pen to give him her undivided attention, was enough to feel like he was being put on the spot. He didn't know why, but the answer to what he was going to ask felt as if it could hurt.

"Do you think Jake did it?" Eric said, earning himself a sceptical look. There was a moment's hesitation that helped calm him down. The fact that she didn't jump at his defence gave him something else to tell himself that he still had the upper hand.

"No." Calleigh finally answered. "It's not like him. At least, it's not like the Jake that we all knew two years back. Being undercover can change people, but… I don't think so."

"Alright." He accepted her response without any further thought.

"Can I ask _you_ something?" She repeated. There was a smile dancing on her lips, and her eyes shone like they normally did, making him believe that it would be a question without any major significance.

"If you must." He teased, causing her to roll her eyes at him.

"Why did you ask me that _after_ you let him go?" Calleigh asked him. At his surprised looked, which she assumed correctly was about how she had known he had been released, she averted her gaze to over his shoulder and nodded to where the corridor was laid out on the other side of the glass wall and doors of the ballistics lab.

Eric followed her eyes, landing instantly on the person that she had obviously seen from her position on the other side of the table. Jake Berkeley, standing in the crime lab whilst talking to Ryan. The simple sight made him frown, especially as he saw both men laugh at something that noone else had heard or seen.

"What?" Calleigh questioned him when she saw the hardened look on his face as he looked back over at her. Even from where she was leaning over the microscope, glancing at him from under her lashes, it was obvious that he had seen something that he didn't like.

"I think he wants to get back together with you." He told her with a heavy sigh. Calleigh remained quiet, standing up straighter to look at the two men in the corridor before looking back at Eric, who had crossed his arms in a stance that she knew very well. It was the one that he used when he felt threatened or the need to defend himself or someone else.

"He knows it's not going to happen. I told him so." She assured him, going back to her work before they divulged into it too much at work.

"He's still in love with you." Eric said roughly, as if admitting it to her made it change something or another.

"Well, I guess it's a good thing I love you, then." Calleigh replied, her words once again softer and quieter as she wrote something else down from her examination. Shaking her head, his words repeated in her head and made her look up at him incredulously. "Besides, you can't possibly know that."

"Trust me, I know." He muttered. Calleigh chose not to reply, simply sticking with her work as he chose to silently brood for a little while. When the silence became too much to handle, she decided to change the subject in hope to move past it all.

"How's the investigation going?"

"As well as it can." Eric replied vaguely, both of them knowing that it was about the most information that he could give her then. "No-one's trying to hide that they aren't glad to see me here, though. Not even the Ryan and Natalia. Can't really blame them though."

"Look, forget about them. It's not your fault you have to do this." Calleigh advised him, leaving her work for a moment to talk to him. "This'll be over soon, and it'll blow over. Everything's just tense and hectic right now, and with no-one knowing what's going on, it's not easy."

"You suggest I just ignore it all?" He asked her wryly. Calleigh smiled in response.

"I suggest you go do what you do best." She corrected him, waiting for him to added something. When he didn't, she carried on. "That's go investigate and not bug me."

"'Bug'?" Eric laughed, shaking his head as his mood softened. "Right, I know when I'm not wanted. I'll be seeing you later, then."

…

If there had ever been a day in the lab alone worse than that day, Calleigh couldn't recall it. Everything was finally calming down now that the case was closed. Unfortunately, it was almost midnight and most had been up and working since 6am. Calleigh herself was one of them.

Rinsing out the cup that she had been refilling with coffee practically the whole day, she left it on the drying board before heading to exit the break room. It was eerily quiet in there, considering how many people still buzzed around. However, she wasn't one to complain when it meant she could go home without another hassle.

Drying her hands on a dishtowel, Calleigh was snapped out of her thoughts about what she wanted and could do the next day that she now had off by the sound of someone calling her name.

"Jake. I thought you had left?" She asked him, throwing the towel into the counter next to her and approaching where he stood just inside the threshold of the break room.

"I had. I wanted to come back and see how it ended." He chuckled.

"Still the same old Jake, huh?" Calleigh repeated his words from earlier that day. "Isn't it risky though? I thought that's why you wanted to leave so badly in the first place?"

"It's better now; at night. I won't be here for long, anyway. I'm heading up to Orlando for a few days." Jake informed her casually. "Might even go on a road trip and ride up to Louisiana."

"Sounds like fun, Jake." She told him with a smile gracing her face and lightening her words. "Be safe, though, won't you? It'll always be dangerous."

"Ah, I can handle it." He brushed off with a scoff, causing Calleigh to laugh softly at his dramatic tone. "But, um, you too, yeah? I don't know when we'll see each other again."

His words, somewhat dire and bittersweet, left them in silence. There wasn't anything else that Calleigh could think of to day, especially not at a moment like this between the two of them. Luckily for her, Jake took it upon himself to break the silence.

"So, you and Delko, huh?" He asked her in a voice that was a mix of both confusion and disbelief. "And don't ask how I know, Cal. It's not hard when he reacts like he did when I simply said your name in the interrogation we got to share. He's hopelessly in love with you, and from what I saw earlier in your ballistics lab, I'd say it was the same the other way around."

"I, um… I don't want to sound rude or anything, Jake, but where is this heading?" Calleigh asked him cautiously. She never was one to talk about her private life, and he knew that better than anyone else.

"Are you happy?" Jake simply asked her, shoving his hands in his pockets as he did so. Although his posture seemed casual, the way his eyes tried to bore into hers told her that this was the final thing that he had to know to diminish all hope.

"Yes." She answered honestly and simply.

"Ok." He smiled; one that actually seemed as real as she could remember them being. "I guess I'll see you when I see you."

"Ok." Calleigh replied, watching as he turned and began to walk out. "Hey, Jake?"

"Yeah?" He stopped at the doorway, one foot in and one foot out of the break room.

"If you ever want to get a coffee for simple getting a coffee, let me know." She said kindly.

"I will. Maybe in a couple of years, yeah?" He joked.

"Maybe so." Calleigh couldn't help the feeling of slight sadness that overcame her as he pushed himself away from the doorframe and walked away.

…

Walking out of the ballistics lab in thought, it was a small surprise to Eric when he saw a familiar face approach him from the opposite direction.

"Hey, you looking for Calleigh?" Jake asked him. His tone was friendly and conversational; something that Eric was pretty sure they had never actually shared.

"Uh… Yeah." He managed to reply as he tried not to think about the wrong reasons why this man would finally want to talk to him. In fact, Eric was trying his best not to think about anything to do with Jake Berkeley as most of this thoughts about the man involved the woman he loved.

"I just saw her in the break room. I think she was heading home." He informed her, both of them stopping in the middle of the crime lab. They kept a measurable distance between them, but the awkward tension that was usually there had now changed into just plain awkwardness.

"Thanks." Eric replied with a curt nod before making to head in the direction he had been pointed in.

"Delko?"

"Yeah?" He asked cautiously as he crossed his arms, not liking the stern tone to Jake's voice.

"Despite everything that's happened in the past-" He broke off, faltering almost, as if the words that he wanted to say wouldn't come out right. Eric simply watched him, waiting until he completed his sentence. "I know you're a good person."

"Look, Berkeley-" Eric began, not expecting the specific words that he had said to come out of his mouth.

"But Calleigh's a better one." Jake finished off hurriedly, not letting the other man get another word in sideward. In all honesty, Eric was glad he hadn't, because what he had said was something that he couldn't argue against. For the first time, they were agreed on something when it came to the beautiful, blonde woman.

"I know."

"You're lucky." Jake told him, and Eric wondered if hell had began freezing over when he couldn't think of any other way for the reason why Jake was telling him things not only that he knew, but agreed with. "Don't make the same mistake I did; don't let her go."

"I wasn't planning to." He remarked, not knowing what else there was to say except for the truth. Letting go of Calleigh was something that had never crossed his mind. Even if he had stayed at CSI, he had told her long before that he would have gladly transferred to the night shift before even thinking about breaking up with her.

"Good." Jake nodded. "I'll see you around." The words were barely out of his mouth before he had turned away and was heading down towards the general area which branched off to the police department.

"Yeah…" Eric breathed out at the same time that Jake had left his line of vision. He wasn't entirely sure what to make of the conversation that they had just had, but if there was something that was sure, it was the feeling of relief. Whether it was because of Jake leaving, or because of his acknowledgment of his prelateship with Calleigh, he wasn't sure. But what he did know was that it didn't matter anymore. Jake Berkeley wasn't going to interfere in their relationship anymore.

…

Calleigh had finally gathered her things to leave, having swapped her work items for her home ones in her locker, when she heard the door open. Shutting her own locker door, she watched as Eric slowly appeared around the corner.

"Hey, there you are! I've been trying to find you." She greeted him. Reaching out, she loosely wrapped her arms around his waist before pushing herself up onto her toes to press her lips against his, now that they were clocked off work. She could feel one of his arms come around her back, while the other hand ran through her hair tenderly. Breaking off before things got too far, Calleigh leaned back a bit so that she could look at him. "I've been waiting to do that all day."

"You could have said something. I wouldn't have minded." Eric flirted, rubbing her back soothingly as she dropped back to the flat of her feet, or rather heels, and let go of him.

"With the day we had? I don't think so." She laughed, leaning against her closed locker to watch him "So what kept you?"

"Yeah, sorry. I, uh... I got held up somewhere." He muttered while fiddling with the zipper of the jacket that she had pulled on.

"Everything ok?" Calleigh asked him in concern, noticing his sudden change in mood. "Eric?"

"Hmm… I guess so." He sighed, offering her a weak smile as he copied her actions and leant against another locker. Putting another foot between them, he stopped with her zipper and crossed his arms instead. Deciding to leave the subject of Jake alone for other time, he came out with the other thing that was on his mind. "Apart from the fact that everyone pretty much hates me right now."

"They don't hate you, Eric." She quickly assured him in her most strictest yet loving tone, making sure she listened to him. "It's just not what we're use to. We're a team, you know that. We cover each other's backs and when someone's trying to cut us down… They don't like it. It sucks that it had to be you on the other side today, but it's your job, right?"

"What about you?" Eric questioned her instead.

"What about me?" She countered coolly.

"C'mon, Calleigh. You're the first one anyone around here would think of when it comes to sticking up for their own. Especially when it comes to our- _the_ team." Catching himself quickly at the end, Eric couldn't help but feel that little bit more secluded when he realised that it really was no longer _his_ team.

"You're right; I do stick up for my own." Calleigh repeated, sliding her hand into his and intertwining their fingers together. She watched his thumb flitter over her a few times before glancing up to see that his eyes were fixed on the previous point. "What do you think I've been doing?" She added, tugging lightly on his hand so that he could get the message.

"You can rationalise it all you want that I was just doing my job, but you and I both know that it was the fact that it was _me,_ rather than the job, that they didn't like." Eric sighed heavily and forlornly, meeting her eyes briefly.

"They'll get over it, Eric. Trust me. Just give it a few days and it'll be forgotten." Calleigh reassured him in the most confident voice that she could conjure up that didn't sound like a order, or a promise. The last thing that she ever wanted to do was to promise this man something that she could never know if it would be stuck to or not. "As for me… No, I didn't like it, either. But I like _you_, and that's enough for me."

Her voice had dropped a bit in volume to make her last words more intimate, and she smiled brightly when she heard him chuckle softly at her words.

"Thank you." He said with gratitude that she could not only hear in his voice, but also see in his eyes and feel in his body as he pulled on her hand and brought her into a short, tight embrace.

"Anytime, babe." Calleigh whispered before pulling away, allowing his hands to come to a rest on her waist and hers on his chest. It was only then, as the stress that he had been carrying around seemingly disappeared from his shoulders, that she realised how tired he must have been. Not only had he been up and working as long as she had, the added tension to it must have worn him out even more so. "So you coming home with me then?"

"No. I've, uh… I've got a few things to do before I can call it a day." Eric regretfully turned her down. Nodding slowly, she opened her mouth to say something, but was stopped when she felt his dancing fingers begin to work their way under the hem of her jacket. "But listen, head back to mine, yeah? Relax and chill out for a bit, and I'll grab something to eat on the way back."

"And then we can continue from where we left this morning?" Calleigh asked him in a tone that could only be noted as seductive. It wasn't something that she would normally use while still in the public regions of the workplace, but when it gave her the desired effects of Eric relaxing and laughing, she realised that she really didn't care.

"Of course."

"Alright, I'll see you there then." She told him as she stepped away from him and picked up her bag from where she had laid it on the bench. "Don't be too late."

"I won't." Eric promised, grabbing onto her wrist as she went to pass him and bringing her into another kiss, this one even shorter that left them both wanting what was left to come. "Love you."

"Love you, too." She replied as he let go off her hand and allowed her to finally have the opportunity to leave the Miami-Dada crime lab.

The cool air gave Calleigh the much needed wake up for her drive to Eric's house. Reaching her car, she opened the back seat to place her stuff before shutting the door and leaning against it for a short moment. Inhaling deeply, she ran her hands over her face and finally through her hair, tilting her head upwards. The night was dark and the stars were shining, and in the fatigue-fogged mind that she was currently using, they could easily have been mistaken for the twice-stolen sparkling diamonds.


End file.
